USA > New York > Madison County > Our county and its people : a descriptive and biographical record of Madison County, New York > Part 92
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Deuel, Walter Estus, M.D., p. o. Chittenango, a popular and successful specialist at Chittenango, was born at Galen, near Clyde, N.Y., in 1852, son of Walter Deuel, a farmer at that place. The family is of French origin and the family name was spelled in the original, De Volle. The first American ancestor of Doctor Deuel was a Huguenot missionary, who found a fertile field for his redeeming labors in Con- necticut about 1620. Doctor Deuel's boyhood was spent in Clyde, N.Y. In 1861, when his father went to the front with the Union army as one of the famous old " Ninth Heavy Artillery," where he served until the war closed, he lived with his mother's people at Frankfort, N. Y., and then attended Whitestown seminary several years. Four years were then spent assisting his father at Frankfort, in the retail hardware trade. In 1872 he began the study of medicine at Ilion, N.Y., thence went to the New York Homeopathic College, graduating from the latter institution in 1876. Since graduation the Doctor has taken several post-graduate courses, beside special personal research, graduating from the New York Ophthalmic Hospital in 1877. In that year he opened an office at Chittenango, where his success has been marked. He retains membership in the American Institute of Homeopathy; the National Electro-Therapeutical Society, beside the various and several State and county so- cieties. Dr. Deuel married, first in 1878, Alice Hager of Watertown, N.Y., who is deceased, and in 1885 he married Frances Bettinger of Chittenango. He has four sons and one daughter, the eldest son, W. Estus Deuel, jr., now nineteen years of age, and a student at the Yates institute, contemplates the study of the healing art. In 1896 Dr. Deuel attended the International Homeopathic Congress at London, Eng .. to which he was a delegate.
Webb, Frank L., p. o. Chittenango Station, the popular proprietor of the leading hotel at Chittenango Station, has been a resident of this town since 1840. At that time he was less than eight years of age, and his mother having died during his in- fancy, in Otsego county, he was brought up by an aunt, whose home was at Bridge- port. His father was Charles L. Webb of Otsego county, where the son was born July 12, 1832. When a boy at Bridgeport he was apprenticed to the cooper trade. In 1861 he opened a general store at Durhamville, which he sold out in 1865. Soon after he purchased a stage route from Bridgeport to Manlius Station, which he conducted five years. After a brief business venture at Marathon, N.Y., he leased a hotel in Broome county, his first experience as a landlord, in which line he has been so suc- cessful. In April, 1874, he opened a hotel at Chittenango Station, and after the dis- astrous fire of 1885 built the commodious modern hotel, with livery barns, etc., which he now conducts, and which is known as one of the best houses of its class in central
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New York. Mr. Webb is one of the. staunchest of Republicans and was appointed postmaster in 1882.
Cooper, Charles H., p. o. Perryville, born September 26, 1844, is the second son of John I. Cooper. The latter was born at Kinderhook, N. Y., April 19, 1806, and mar- ried February 2, 1833, Ann Huyck of the same place. To them were born six chil- dren, of whom two are now dead. Those living are Charles and Frank Cooper of Perryville; James P., a miller at Canastota; and Harrison of the Solvay Process Company at Syracuse. These boys were thrown upon their own resources at an early age by the death of their father, John I Cooper, in 1850. Charles Cooper has always been engaged in farming and now works a farm of 120 acres near the village of Perryville, which has been his home for thirty-three years. He is recognized through all that locality as a citizen of sterling character and broad views of men and public affairs. A staunch Republican, he has filled many local positions of re- sponsibility and trust. He was deputy sheriff from 1873 to 1881 and has been sev- eral years notary public. Himself and family are members of the Methodist Church, of which he is a steward and trustee. As a member of the school board he took a prominent part in the organization and erection of a union free school at Perryville. In the Masonic fraternity he also holds high rank. He is also a member of the Inde- pendeut Order of Odd Fellows, and now holds the honorable office of chaplain of the order. December 20, 1865, he married Nan L. Hamblin, daughter of O. B. Hamblin of Perryville. They have one daughter, Daisy A. Cooper, now eighteen years of age; an only son, Earl, died in infancy in the autumn of 1881. On the lawn adjoining Mr. Cooper's home may be seen an interesting relic of aboriginal times, consisting of a mass of porphyry, very nearly spherical, eighteen inches in diameter and probably weighing nearly 200 pounds. It is surmised that this was used by the Indian women to crush maize by rolling it to and fro in a stone channel.
Bushnell. Holton A., p. o. Bridgeport, the genial and popular proprietor of the Servis Hotel at Bridgeport, is descended from one of the oldest local families. His father is James A. Bushnell, whose large farms are situated on the lake road near Lakeport. James Bushnell is a staunch Republican and has for years been a prom- inent factor in town politics, besides filling various offices of responsibility, such as assessor and town auditor. Holton Bushnell was born at the homestead farm, March 8, 1869, and began his education at Yates Polytechnic Institute at Chittenango, tak- ing the full course of three years. Returning to the farm for a year he decided to prepare for a life of business activity and took a course of study at the Wells Busi- ness College, Syracuse, during the winters of 1887 and 1888. Then, after an ex- tended tour of the West, he accepted a situation as freight clerk with the N. Y. C. R. R. at Canastota, N. Y., remaining there a year. After a few months in the office of Hill & Co., wholesale jewelers of Chicago, he became a traveling salesman for Grove- ham & Co., Chicago jobbers in grocer's specialties, having the State of Michigan for his field of operations. The year following was spent still further west, traveling through Minnesota and Wisconsin for a Syracuse manufacturer of silverware and novelties. Mr. Bushnell's wanderings were cut short May 3, 1896, by his marriage to Nellie Grace Nichols, daughter of J. H. Nichols, a prominent merchant of this place. Soon after marriage he leased the somewhat venerable hotel then known as
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the Nichols House at Bridgeport, operating it with success until November of 1897, when he secured a lease of the Servis Hotel, which he now conducts as a first-class hotel.
Conklin, Lucius Edwin, p. o. Bridgeport, the leading merchant of Bridgeport, is a conspicuous instance of the substantial man of business, who by his unaided exer- tions has risen from an humble beginning. Mr. Conklin, in 1892, purchased the general store owned by the Dunham estate. For a few months he was in partner- ship with W. W. Billington, but since July, 1892, has himself conducted the business. During the last four years of the Cleveland administration he officiated as postmaster of Bridgeport. He is in politics a Democrat and an active political leader locally. His personal characteristics are such as to render him a popular citizen. His earlier life was one of some toil and privation, having been thrown upon his own resources when a boy. His ancestors were of Irish nativity, his grandfather being David Conklin of Utica, and his father, Timothy Conklin, a boatman of Mohawk. Mr. Conklin was born in Cicero, Onondaga county, April 7, 1859; his facilities for get- ting an education were limited to winters in the common schools, working on farms during the summer. When twenty years of age he married Lillian E. Hayes of Bridgeport, a daughter of William H. Hayes. They have two children: Bertha Augusta, born April 13, 1885, and Theresa Ella, born June 2, 1896. Mr. Conklin is a practical mechanic and for three years was in the Remington armory, making a resi- dence at Ilion during 1889, and later bought a place at Mohawk.
Nichols, Omar A., p. o. Bridgeport, was born at Perryville, April 23, 1841. His family dates from the American revolution, after participating in which, the three brothers who founded the family settled in the east, one in Ontario, one near Norfolk, and one at Great Barrington, Mass., the latter being the first American ancestor of the subject. His father was the late Ira Ross Nichols, an old-time resident of the town of Fenner. He was by trade a carpenter and spent most of his life in the vicinity of Perryville and Cazenovia. Omar Nichols was educated at the common schools, supplemented by reading and personal study. He was for some years a successful teacher, first at Stockbridge, Mich., and later at his birthplace, Perryville. In 1870 and 1871, he was manager for the Howe sewing machine company, in Clinton county. His mature years have been devoted to the building trade, and many hand- some residences at Bridgeport and elsewhere testify to his skill in construction. November 10, 1864, he married Mary A. Burrows, of Stockbridge, Mich. They have two sons: Ira J. Nichols, of this place, born November 8, 1865, and Claude A. Nichols, born September 8, 1875. Mr. Nichols is a Free Mason of high degree and a past master. Both himself and wife are members of the Episcopal church. He possesses the esteem and confidence of all who know him.
Brown, David H., p. o. Bridgeport, first saw the light at New Hartford, Oneida county, March 17, 1838. He is yet an active man of business and carries his sixty years very lightly. Richard Brown. his father, who died in 1897, at Syracuse, had been a large farmer and speculated in lumber and produce. At one time he operated a match factory here. Mr. Brown after completing a regular course at Yates poly-
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technic institute at Chittenengo, began life by selling stoves, pumps and agricultural implements from a wagon, then for twelve years made and repaired wagons, etc., doing in that line a large business. About 1875, he sold out and turned his shop into a general store, at the same location as now. Since that time he has been in general mercantile business, besides shipping grain, hay and produce, having various farming interests. In 1866, he married Blendelia Campbell, daughter of Col. Alonzo Campbell, then of Canastota, but now a resident of Bridgeport. Their children are Charlotte, wife of Henry Fox, of Bridgeport ; Agnes, wife of Frederic T. Kirkland, of Pocatello, Idaho, he being general secretary of the Y. M. C. A .; Richard C. Brown, now twenty-five years of age, associated with Mr. Brown in his store and appointed postmaster of Bridgeport in 1898; David, a son of twenty years; and Leah, a student at Cazenovia. Mr. Brown's grandfather, Benjamin, was a cap- tain in the Revolution, a native of Schoharie county.
Damon, Loren N., p. o. Bridgeport .- Jason Damon, his paternal grandfather, was one of the first settlers on the lake shore of Sullivan. The date is not readily deter- minable, but it is certain that Jason Damon hewed out a home amid the primeval forest. He left nine sons, one of whom, Norton Jason Damon, was the father of Loren. Norton lived at Verona, Oneida county, during the sixties, but returned to Sullivan when Loren was a boy of six, and the farm which he afterwards cleared with his own hands is now owned by Loren Damon. This consists of nearly 100 acres and the elder Damon was thereon engaged largely in the breeding of horses for the market, chiefly of the Sampson and Messenger types. Here Norton died aged seventy-seven years, in 1881. Loren has always been engaged in farming, and is one of the progressive men of the town; he also owns a pleasant home in the village, which he purchased in 1890. He is highly esteemed in Bridgeport and wherever known as a citizen of sterling worth. He is a Republican, and takes an active interest in the events of the time, but has no ambition for office. He married, May 7, 1884, Mary Jane Hogan, of Bridgeport, daughter of Isaac Hogan, then a farmer of Cicero, and has two sons: Raymond H., born July 14, 1888, and Ceylon N., born October 21, 1891.
Coleman, Carlos J., was born in Catharine, Schuyler county, N. Y., January 28, 1866, and was the eldest of four children in the family of John and Catharine Cole- man. In 1869 the family removed to Eaton, but soon afterward went to Seneca county, remaining until 1879, when the again returned to Eaton. At the age of ten years Carlos began working with his father, who was a mason, and so continued un- til he was twenty, by which time he had saved a little money. He determined to acquire an education, for which purpose he walked to Clinton, where he worked for his board and and attended school. In December, 1885, he went to Cazenovia, where he continued his studies in the seminary, maintaining himself by work in a family, caring for a horse, several cows and calves and the children of the household. After a year he returned to his trade of mason and during the summer saved enough money to carry him through the next year's course in school. However, before the end of his third year in school the young student fell sick and was obliged to discontinue his studies. He then went to Cortland and spent three summers working at his
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trade, during the time being foreman over fifty-seven men, and also acting as fore- man in the erection of the Miller block. In 1891 he went to Aurora and worked on the Wells College buildings and after nine months returned to Cortland and entered the Normal School, remaining until he was graduated in 1893; during this time he was proprietor of the Cortland steam laundry and so increased the work of that con- cern that twenty-one employees were required for its operation, instead of three as previously. But in this enterprise Mr. Coleman had the misfortune to suffer from the loss of his plant by fire and with it was also destroyed $6,000 worth of goods. He re-established himself, however, and soon had a large and successful business; at the same time he diligently prosecuted his studies until his graduation in 1893, he then holding the enviable position of president of his class. Mr. Coleman then came to Madison and for three years and one term was principal of the union school of the village. On August 11, 1896, he was nominated for the office of commissioner in the first school district of the county, and was elected in November following. Carlos J. Coleman is known throughout the region as one of the most energetic and capable school organizers and constantly aims to advance the standard of education, the advantages of which were denied him when a youth. In this effort he has been successful and the people of the district have come to appreciate his work and en- dorse his plans. On August 13, 1896, Mr. Coleman married Cora E., daughter of John and Caroline Peck of Cortland, and they have one child.
Howson, John W., was born in Cazenovia, April 7, 1847, and boasts a substantial ancestry, his father, Robert Howson, having been born and bred in England, while his mother, Elizabeth Mitchell, was a native of Scotland. Mr. Howson was educated in the common schools of Cazenovia and at the Seminary. In 1864 he became a clerk in the post-office (Captain Seneca Lake, postmaster), and remained in that capacity until appointed postmaster in 1871. From that date until 1883 he served continuously. He was again appointed postmaster July 25, 1891, and served until July 1, 1896, exceeding his term nearly a year. Mr. Howson was a charter member of the Board of Education of Union Free School District No. 10, Cazenovia, organ- ized November 26, 1875, and served upwards of twenty years, being president of the board from September 1, 1885, to August 5, 1896. He was also president of the Board of Sewer Commissioners, having charge of the construction of the excellent system of sewers built in Cazenovia in 1894-5, and it is due to his and their efforts that the village is in possession of one of the finest sewerage systems in the State. In politles he has been a lifelong Republican and an active worker in the party. In 1873 he was clerk of the village, and was elected president of the village in 1897, serving one term. When the Western Union Telegraph office was established in Cazenevia in 1866, Mr. Howson was put in charge, and has acted as operator and manager ever since, still retaining it in his business office as a " Mascot," at the present date, January 1, 1900. He is a member of Cazenovia Lodge, No. 616, F. & A. M., a trustee of the Presbyterian church, and vice-president of the Cazenovia Public Library Society.
Dexter, C. W., p. o. Munnsville, of the firm of Dexter & Davis, who are among the leading merchants of Madison county, N. Y., was born in Stockbridge, April 23,
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1848, a son of William and Fannie (Harrington) Dexter, who spent the greater part of their lives in Stockbridge. His father was a cabinet maker, a Republican, and he and his wife were members of the M. E. church. C. W. Dexter was educated in the common schools and at the age of sixteen began business for himself as an egg dealer; later he was engaged in buying rags for a paper mill and at the age of twenty-two engaged in the mercantile business in which he has been very successful. He was in partnership with his brother, E. N. Dexter, four years and in 1839 formed a partnership with C. W. Davis, since which time the firm has been known as Dex- ter & Davis. They also own a large store at East Syracuse and one at Valley mills. Mr. Dexter was for five years a member of Munnsville Plow Company; and he is in- terested in a store in Elbridge, under the name of Hazelton & Co .; at Valley Mills he owns the roller mills, consisting of flour and feed mill, also cider mill. Mr. Dex- ter has been one of the directors and vice-president of the Farmers and Mechanics State Bank of Oneida since its organization. He is also interested in agricultural pursuits and has a farm of ninety acres near the village of Munnsville, where he carries on dairying. In 1870 Mr. Dexter married Emma Jobes of Onondaga county, and they have one daughter, Ethel C., born July 25, 1882. Mr. Dexter is a Repub- lican in politics, has been postmaster (except through Cleveland's administration) since 1870. In 1892 and 1893 he was a member of assembly. He is a member of Prosperity Lodge Lodge No. 484, I. O. O. F. Mrs. Dexter is a member of the Con- gregational church, but Mr. Dexter is liberal in his religious views.
Davis, Clark W., p. o. Munnsville, of the firm of Dexter & Davis, who are among the leading merchants of Madison county, also conducting an extensive business in East Syracuse, was born in the town of Stockbridge, March 20, 1865. He was reared on a farm and educated in the common schools. For a short time he was col- lector for the Oneida Dispatch Company, and later bought a half interest in the store at Munnsville and was a partner of James Giles, under the firm name of Giles & Davis. This firm continued two and one-half years when the present firm of Dexter & Davis was established. On January 6, 1893, Mr. Davis married Jeannette E. Da- vidson of Onondaga county; both attend and support the Congregational church, of which Mr. Davis has been trustee six years. He is also a member of the board of education ; in politics he is an ardent Republican and has held the office of town clerk one term. He is strictly a business man and has been remarkably successful. He is a son of David L. Davis, who was born in Eaton, Madison county, N. Y., May 19, 1836, a son of Deacon David E. Davis and Mary Williams, both born in Wales, he in 1812 and she in 1814. They were married in Wales in 1832 and at once started to the United States, settling in Philadelphia and in 1835 removed to the town of Hamilton, where they remained for a short time then settled in Eaton, where he was engaged in milling. He then went to Lebanon, where he had charge of a grist mill, then came to Nelson and went on a farm where he died in 1894; his wife died in 1896. They had a family of seven sons and three daughters. David L. Lewis was reared on a farm and educated in the common schools and Cazenovia Seminary. He has spent most of his life in Stockbridge. February 24, 1864, he married Rosalia A. Spaulding, born in 1843, a daughter of Philander Spaulding, and granddaughter of John Spaulding, who was one of the early settlers of Stockbridge; his wife was
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Margaret Peterson, who also died in Stockbridge. Philander Spaulding was born in 1819; his wife was Miranda Parker, by whom he had four children. His wife died in 1855 and he is now living, aged eighty-one years. To Mr. and Mrs. Davis were born four children: Clark W., the subject, Frank E., Henry B. and Lena M. Frank E. married Charlotte Rich of Morrisville; and Lena F., married Warren J. Stisser.
Root, Alfred E., p. o. Chittenango, the popular druggist of Chittenango, is a native of Brooklyn, N. Y., where he was born in 1863. His father, now deceased, was Ed- ward Root, who came to this place in 1873, at that time a shoe dealer, etc. Mr. Root's genealogy is traceable on both sides to the American Revolution. He was about ten years of age when the family came to Chittenango and completed his ed- ucation at the Polytechnic Institute here. He embarked in business as a dispensing druggist in 1889, building up a large and growing trade. In 1887 J. R. Costello be- came a partner. The firm carry a large general stock of goods and their commodi- ous store is the center of commercial activity. The department of pharmacy, still an important feature of their trade, is presided over by Mr. Root. In 1886 he mar- ried Beatrice Kellogg Walrath, daughter of Hon. Peter Walrath of this place, who died September 26, 1896. A daughter. Beatrice, born September 26, 1896, was born of that union. Not alone in business circles, but in church and society, Mr. Root takes a prominent place. Republican in politics, he has been one of the school board four years, and superintendent of the Sunday school of the Presbyterian church ten years.
Rice, Baxter, came from Massachusetts and was an early settler on the farm now owned by A. W. Head. Most of his later life was spent in Madison, but he died in Oriskany Falls. He was a successful farmer. His children were Catharine, Oliver B., Harriet, Baxter, Harmony, Adeline, and Henry B. Oliver B. was also a farmer and accumulated a fair property. He was highway commissioner twenty-one years and assessor three years. His wife was Mary Hazard, by whom he had two chil- dren: William H., and Oliver H., both of Madison village. Oliver B. died February 21, 1885, and his wife died April 19, 1887. Oliver H. Rice was born October 28, 1849, and spent his early life on the farm. He came to the village in 1884, and has worked as a carpenter since 1873. His large shop and cider mill building was erected in 1893. He is an energetic and industrious business man and has enjoyed a fair measure of success. On December 14, 1877, Mr. Rice married Mary Welling, by whom he had one son, Ray W. Rice. Mr. Rice is a Republican, but not active in local politics. He is a member of the Congregational church and has been trustee about sixteen years.
Gardiner, Frank D., is a general merchant and postmaster at Sheds, in the town of De Ruyter, Madison county, N. Y., where he was born May 9, 1865, the only son of D. Foster and Clarissa A. (Smith) Gardiner. His grandfather was Dwight Gardi- ner, who was born May 18, 1797, and died July 21, 1876; he married Cynthia White, who was born July 25, 1803, and died June 18, 1881. His great-grandfather came from Ireland to this country in 1810 and settled in De Ruyter. Frank D. spent his boyhood on the farm and in the public schools of De Ruyter and Cazenovia Semi-
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nary. He then engaged in general merchandising on his own account at Delphi for one year, when he removed to Sheds Corners and succeeded his brother-in-law, F. J. Wescott, in that place, where he has since conducted a large and growing busi- ness. Mr. Gardiner is postmaster at Sheds, being appointed June 25, 1892, and has held the position continuously since. In politics he is a Republican, and has served five years as a town committeeman and has held the office of tax collector. On April 9, 1887, he married Inez I., daughter of Albert and Harriet (Hopkins) Dewey. To them was born one daughter, Doris, November 10, 1890. Fraternally Mr. Gardiner is a member of De Ruyter Lodge, No. 692, F. & A. M.
Lum, William Tappan, M.D., p. o. Bridgeport, was born at Montpelier, Vt., August 15, 1869. His father was the late well-known and talented writer on eco- nomics and kindred topics, Daniel Dyer Lum, who was also noted for his political activity, having been several years national secretary of the Greenback party and in 1876 the candidate of that party for lieutenant-governor of Massachusetts. Dr. Lum's boyhood was spent chiefly at Northampton, Mass., until in 1879, when he re- ceived an appointment as page in the National House of Representatives, in which capacity he remained two years. Later he engaged in newspaper work, beginning as office boy for the Northampton Herald; then to Brooklyn and New York, being at various times compositor, job printer and proof reader. During his leisure hours he took up the study of dentistry and made considerable strides toward efficiency in that profession in the metropolis. In 1893 he became associated with Dr. C. S. Roberts of Syracuse, and about the same time began a course of study in the Syra- cuse College of Medicine, graduating from that institution with honors three years later, and beginning practice at Bridgeport. Dr. Lum is a member of Madison County Medical Society; of the Central New York Medical Society and others. He admits a special predilection for operative surgery, in which branch he has already attained a considerable degree of local fame. Personally the doctor is a delightful companion, while professionally his skill is widely recognized. He enjoys a large practice. June 16, 1897, he married Grace M. Sweeting of Cicero, N. Y., daughter of Lewis Sweeting, a retired farmer, and they have one son, Donald Dyer Lum, born September 15, 1898.
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